‘Tarchon pointed to the eagle as it soared into the stillness. ‘An eagle brought a sign to Tanaquil that her husband would be King of Rome.’ Caecilia refused to look at the bird, not wanting to hear another of Tarchon’s tales, especially about an Etruscan woman who became a… Read More »A queen, an eagle and destiny….Tanaquil by Elisabeth Storrs
The women of the early Roman Republic were definitely second class citizens (see Damn Whores or God’s Police). It is interesting, though, that two of them, Lucretia and Virginia were catalysts for significant changes in early Roman history. While the existence of these women is debatable, their legends have been… Read More »Dying for Rome – Lucretia by Elisabeth Storrs
Of all the settings portrayed in my novel about 1st Century Rome, Rubies of the Viper, none was more painful—and paradoxically more exciting and challenging—to envision than the Carcer Tullianus, Rome’s notorious underground death chamber. I can’t be specific about the scenes set there, because that would reveal key elements… Read More »The Dreadful Carcer by Martha Marks
The Year-god’s Daughter by Rebecca Lochlann When I conceived the idea of The Year-god’s Daughter, (and eventually the entire series) most of us relied on dot-matrix printers. I still have a stack of yellowing sheets with holes along both edges, but the story and its author have undergone so many transformations that… Read More »The Year-god’s Daughter by Rebecca Lochlann
Does this picture look familiar? No, it’s not Lucretia (Dying for Rome) but this woman’s story is depressingly similar to that of the tragic Roman matron who was raped by an Etruscan prince. She is Virginia, whose death, just like Lucretia’s, was the catalyst for significant change in Rome. The… Read More »Dying for Rome by Elisabeth Storrs